Ments



I (No el.)

J. K. ARK L H.

No. 463,483. Patented Nov. 17, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K. CLARK, OF BUFFALO, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO MARY K. CLARK, OF SAME PLACE.

LATC H.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,483, dated November17, 1891. Application filed July 23, 1891- Serlal No. OOAS. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN K. CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Latch-Locks, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In refrigerators and other structures having closuredoors considerabledifficulty arises from the effect of swelling and shrinking whichinterferes to an objectionable extent with the proper engagement of thedoor-latch with the striker or catch-plate. If the door swells orexpands, the latch cannot properly engage the striker or catch-plate,and if the door shrinks or contracts it is not held by the striker orcatch-plate to secure a perfect closure for excluding the externalatmosphere and prevent the escape of cold air from within. It has beenproposed to avoid these obj ections by a peculiarbeveled construction ofthe door-latch and striker or catch-plate in such manner as to wedge thedoor in place when closed, while permitting the engagement of the latchand striker or catch-plate under limited swelling or expansion of thedoor. This prior construction does not fulfill all the conditionsrequired and is not entirely satisfactory and practicable in operation,especially if doors swell or expand to a considerable extent.

In my application for Letters Patent filed April 7, 1891, Serial No.388,022, is described and claimed a novel construction which avoids allthe objections stated and enables the door to be closed perfectlyair-tight, even though 'the door or door-frame swells or shrinks; but

in the. former invention it is necessary to providethe striker-framewith an adjustable catch-plate.

In the manufacture of refrigerators it is desirable to so construct thedoor-latch that the knob or handle can be readily removed duringtransportation of the refrigerator, while when the knob or handle is inoperative position it will project to the least possible extent.

The objects of my invention are to avoid constructing the keeper orstriker-frame with an adjustable catch-plate; to provide novel,

conditions of the door incident to shrinking or swelling, and to providenovel means whereby the knob or handle can be readily removed when therefrigerator is crated for shipment, while such knob or handle willproject the least possible extent when in operative position. Toaccomplish all these objects my'invention involves the features ofconstruction and the combination or arrangement of devices hereinafterdescribed and claimed, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, in Wlll0l1 Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of arim-latch embodying my invention. a detail perspective view of thekeeper or striker. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rim-latch,omitting the knob or handle. Fig. 4 isa detail perspective View of theknob or handle. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the latch, omittingthedetachahleback plate of thelatchcase. Fig. 6 is a detail perspectiveView of the hub and spindle for operating the latchdog. Fig. 7 is asectional view taken on the line cc m, Fig. 5, showing the back plate ofthe latch-case in position; and Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of thelatch-dog.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention,I will now describe the same in detail, referring to thedrawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates a keeper or striker whichisformed with a catch-stud 2, having a curved front face and a beveled.rear face; but inasmuch as I do not limit myself .to any particularconstruction of keeper or striker, so long as it is provided with acatch or stud and serves to receive the latch, I do not deem itessential to more fully describe or illustrate the same.

The latch-dog 3 is shown as arranged in the casing 4 of a rim latch-lockadapted to be screwed to the outside of the door, and

Fig. 2 is this latch is cast integral with trunnions 5, journaled insuitable hearings in the latchcasing and the detachable back plate (3thereof. The rear extremity of the latch is constructed to engage thelugs 7 of a rotary hub 8, cast integral with a spindle 9, which projectsthrough an orifice in the front wall of the latch-casing in such mannerthat when the hub is rotated in either direction the latch-dog will beraised out of engagement with the catch-stud 2 of the keeper or striker1 for the purpose of opening the refrigerator or other door. A spiral orother suitable spring 10 is arranged between the upper side of thelatch-dog and the top wall of the latchcasing for the purpose ofpressing the latchdog downward and holding it in position to engage thecatch-stud of the striker.

The latch-dog is adapted to be locked in its normalposition through themedium of a sliding-lock bolt 12, as in my application for patenthereinbefore alluded to.

The front wall of the latch-casing iscast integral with a projectingannular collar 13, having a recess or notch ll, and adapted to receivethe inner end of the cylindrical shank of the knob or handle 16. Theshank of the knob or handle is constructed with an angular socket toreceive the angular spindle 9, which is formed with the rotary hub 8, sothat a screw may'be passed through the recess or notch Ll of the collar13 to rigidly connect the shank of the knob or handle with the spindleof the hub. The screw 17, which connects the shank with the spindle, isadapted to pass under the annular collar 13, and consequently thiscollar serves to prevent accidental displacement of the screw. By thisnovel construction I am enabled to materially reduce the extent to whichthe spindle projects and further render it possible to conveniently andquickly removethe knob or handle when the refrigerator is to be cratedfor shipment or transportation, thereby entirely avoiding injury to theknob orhandle, which sometimes results during transportation of arefrigera tor. By forming the rotary hub 8 in a single piece with thespindlef) I not only reduce the length of the knob-spindle,butmaterially lessen the expense of manufacture, since it is not necessaryto cast the hub with an angular orifice for the reception of theknob-spindle, as is usually the case. The recess or notch in the annularcollar 13 materially contributes in enabling me to reduce the extent towhich the spindle projects from the latchcasing. This recess or notchserves to receive the screw by which the knob or handle shank isattached to the spindle of the hub. The annular collar 13 in factconstitutes a rose which is integral with the latch-easing, and thisconstruction, in connection with the notch or, recess in the rose,enables the screw 17 to be conveniently applied and retained in positionagainst accidental displacement.

The nose 18 of the latch-dog 3 is provided with a transversescrew-threaded orifice, in which is arranged a set-screw 19, adapted tobe rotated for the purpose of adjusting its front extremity or point 20in a direction toward and from the front wall of thelatchcasing in suchmanner that if the refrigerator or other door should shrink theset-screw can be turned to adjust its extremity or point 20 in anoutward direction, so that such extremity or point 20 will act upon thestriker 1 for obtaining a perfect air-tight closure of therefrigeratordoor. If the door should swell, the set-screw can be rotatedto adjust its extremity or point 20 in an inward direction to therequired extent.

The adjustable set-screw in the noseof the latch-dog enables me tocompensate for swelling or shrinking of the door, and thereby enable thelatch-dog to properly engage the striker under all circumstances, eventhough the door should shrink or swell,

3 y providing the noseof the latch-dog with a transverse set-screw whichis adjustable back and forth, as described, I avoid the necessityofconstructing the striker-frame with an adjustable catch-plate tocompensate for swelling or shrinking of the door, and there fore Imaterially reduce the cost of manufac ture and produce an eflicientlatch which fulfills all the conditions required to secure a perfectair-tight closure of a refrigerator or other door, even though the doorshould swell or contract to a considerable extent.

I have described my invention as applied 100 to a rim-lock; but I wishit distinctly understood that it is well adapted for a mortise-- look.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination,with a latch-casing, of a latch movable in a vertical plane relativelyto the casing, and having a nose provided with a transverselyarrangedset-screw adjustable in a plane approximately at right 110 angles to thelength of the latch to project more or less from the outer side of thekeeperen gaging nose, a movable knob or handle supported by thelatch-casing for lifting the latch to open the door, and a keeper havinga catch- 1 15 stud over which the nose of the latch moves when the dooris closed to cause the latch to enter the keeper and a part of the screwto fall behind the catch-stud, substantially as described.

2. A rim latch lock having a verticallymoving latch-dog, in combinationwith a retary hub operating the dog, and provided with arigidly-attached spindle, and a knob or handle having a shank detachablycon- I nected with the spindle, substantially as described.

3. A latch-casing having its front wall formed integral with an annularcollar or rose provided with a recess or notch, in combina- I tion withthe swinging latch jonrnaled in the In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset latch-casing, a rotary hub also journaled in my hand in presence oftwo subscribing wit- IO the latch-casing and having a spindle, and anesses.

knob or handle having a shank extending into the collar or rose anddetachably con- JOHN K. CLARK.

nected with the spindle by a screw adapted Witnesses: to move inside thecollar or rose, substantially NORMAN P. SMITH,

as described. GEORGE S. HERGER.

